Celtic will triumph in Norway predicts Johansen
STEFAN JOHANSEN has confidently predicted Europa League success for Celtic in Norway tomorrow and insisted the Scottish champions are a class above Molde. Former Stromsgodset player Johansen said he respects the Group A leaders following their shock victory against Fenerbahce in Turkey and their draw with Ajax. However, he is convinced that he and coach Ronny Deila will mark their return home with a first group win and told Norwegian newspaper Romsdals Budstikke: ‘We don’t care if it’s Fenerbahce or Molde we play, we will go out and try to get the win. ‘Molde have done well, surprisingly well. What they did at Fenerbahce was impressive and, although they struggled at home to Ajax, they did well to get a draw. ‘But there is a reason why
OFFICIALLY credited with a population of just 25,936 — making it the 22nd biggest place in Norway — Molde has marginally more inhabitants than Newton Mearns, yet not quite as many as Clydebank.
Champions of their country in three of the last four seasons, they entertain Celtic tomorrow not only looking down on the Scottish champions from the summit of Group A in the Europa League, but also Fenerbahce and Ajax after defeating the Turks in Istanbul and drawing with the Dutch at home.
The question, then, is glaringly obvious — just how on earth do they do it? After all, this is a club who knew nothing other than lower-league football until the 1970s and who are dwarfed in terms of support by clubs like Rosenborg and Viking Stavanger.
Yet, as Ronny Deila’s Stromsgodset proved by turning themselves from relegation candidates into Tippeligaen champions in 2013, size does not count for everything in the Scandinavian country these days.
With a capacity of just under 12,000, the Aker Stadion is a popular draw for fans in the town and the outlying villages.
But perhaps the real answer to the question is to be found in the participation levels; Molde has some 900 players attached to it beneath the first-team, split across 55 teams. Clearly, the chance of anyone with even a modicum of talent slipping through the net is next to zero.
‘It’s not an easy place to get to, so they tend to produce a lot of their own kids,’ said former Rangers midfielder Charlie Miller, who played with SK Brann Bergen in Norway.
‘That tends to be the way in Norway because a lot of the towns are quite remote. It was a similar story at Brann. All the good young players are always given a chance.
‘People probably don’t realise just how popular football is in Norway. They are fanatical about it, especially the English Premier League. For most kids growing up in and around the town, their ambition will be to one day play for Molde.
‘Absolutely everyone there will support them, so they actually get pretty decent crowds considering the size of the place.
‘It’s a really good club and a nice place to play. The stadium is right on the waterside, so I always enjoyed playing there.
‘It’s also very well run. The owners have invested a lot of money. They built a big hotel right beside the stadium which brings in some good income, too.’
Molde are so much more than just local heroes these days, however. For so long found lingering in the shadows of Rosenborg, Valerenga and Brann, their recent history marks them out as the pre-eminent force in the country.
‘It’s a really strong club these days,’ Miller added. ‘Their big breakthrough came when they first won the league in 2011 with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager.
‘That was a great achievement because, for so long, Rosenborg had dominated the domestic scene and the Champions League money they were earning each year made it increasingly difficult for the others to challenge them.
‘Since their long run of titles ended, a number of different clubs have won the title, so it’s become a lot more competitive and interesting.’
With success at Molde has come a heightening of standards. When Solskjaer left for an ill-fated spell at Cardiff City in 2014 — just weeks after Deila’s Stromsgodset won the title — his replacement Tor Ole Skullerud found himself in the unenviable position of trying to follow a legend.
He succeeded — initially — in spectacular fashion by winning the Double last year. Yet a failure to maintain that level saw him sacked in August, with Molde languishing in seventh in the league.
Erling Moe was placed in temporary charge and, so far, the change has been for the better.
‘I was actually in Turkey when they beat Fenerbahce, so I saw the game and they played really well,’ Miller said.
‘I don’t know if the Turks are an ageing team or whatever, but Molde’s legs were just too much for them.’
In the event that it all goes horribly wrong tomorrow, Celtic won’t be able to say they were taken by surprise.
As if the start Moe’s men have made to the group isn’t a stark enough warning, Deila will need no one to tell him that Stromsgodset aren’t the only club with a tendency to punch well above their weight in recent times. ‘They are all extremely fit boys with a decent standard of ability,’ Miller warned.
‘It won’t be a walk in the park for Celtic, that’s for sure, but I do still see them as favourites.
‘Molde will be happy to sit in and hit Celtic on the counter. They have great pace. ‘Fellow Norwegians Ronny Deila and Stefan Johansen will realise they are up there on merit. Celtic must respect them to go on and win the
game.’